The Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Toronto Raptors 123-114 on Wednesday night. Despite the loss, there were several takeaways to carry on.
The Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, 123-114, in what seemed like it should have been a lost game from the start for the Sixers. That said, the Sixers hung around for quite a while in the first quarter, leading after the first 12 minutes by 3 points.
Over the next two quarters, the Raptors outscored the Sixers 70-49. The Sixers won the fourth quarter 40-31, but it was not enough for them to win the game by any means.
The Sixers won the rebounding battle on both ends of the floor, and also were moving the ball better than the Raptors, finishing with 29 assists compared to the Raptors’ 21.
In the end, the Sixers were brought down by a few major things. One is the incapability to contain players like DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry (who combined for 51 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists), and the other was the foul situation. The Sixers finished the game with 27 team fouls, and the Raptors scored 31 points in the game off of free-throws, where the Sixers had just 19 made free-throws.
Of course, the Sixers had turnover issues as always in this game, closing the evening with 14 turnovers.
Towards the end of the game, it looked as if the Sixers might actually be able to pull some sort of miracle off as they were starting to streak and close the lead, but in the end the Sixers were unable to keep momentum going late in the fourth.
Throughout the loss, which was the Sixers’ 19th of the season, there were plenty of takeaways.
Dec 14, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) falls to the floor after being injured during the second quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center. The Toronto Raptors won 123.114. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Embiid has off nights
Almost every superstar has their off nights once in a while. The difference with other teams with more superstar players is that they have players around them that can step up when they don’t perform up to their usual standard. We saw that Embiid, the superstar of the Sixers, had an off night on Wednesday night.
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In 27 minutes, Embiid had 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. The biggest drop-off for Embiid in this game was obviously the scoring, as the rebounding and assisting was actually up to par, or near his usual stat line. When looking at previous rookie seasons around the NBA, and especially this year, it’s pretty wild that we’re talking about a performance like that as a blemish on a player’s game log, but for Embiid it really is, and that speaks to the standard of Embiid’s play more than it does to his performance against the Raptors specifically.
Embiid had a tough time with Jonas Valanciunas specifically, as Valanciunas was able to challenge him when he was trying to power in the low block on the offensive end, and Valanciunas was also able to take to his advantage the fact that Embiid and Jahlil Okafor were still trying to figure out how to share the frontcourt together.
Valanciunas scored 17 points and brought in 10 rebounds in about 35 minutes of play.
Embiid, despite the statistical downfall, did not leave the game without impact. He kept his energy high, and was all over the floor going after loose balls, rebounds, and trying to keep himself in the game to the best of his ability.
At one point in the game, Embiid went for a loose ball — that in retrospect, would not have changed the game at all had he saved it — diving over the first row of seats and landing in the crevice between the first and second row.
It’s moments like that that, yes, scare fans for his health and safety, but also show just how dedicated he is to the game, and how much he is willing to sacrifice in order to get his team even a smidgen closer to success.
Dec 14, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) controls the ball against Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Toronto Raptors won 123.114. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Okafor can do good when he puts effort in
So far this season, out of all the big men — heck, even include Nerlens Noel in there — Jahlil Okafor has looked the laziest. He looks downright uninterested in rebounding, defense, and even offense in most games, and is simply not caring enough for fans to pay much attention to him. Forget about the possibility of anyone advocating for the Sixers to keep him and not trade him.
Okafor, when he puts his mind to the game, though, can do some really solid things. We’ve seen a couple games where he had some solid showings statistically and visually, and those games, he really seems to be putting effort in (wow, what a strange concept), and that’s essentially the biggest game-changer for him individually.
Against the Raptors, Okafor muscled out 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in 30 minutes while shooting 66 percent from the field and 83 percent from the line (sinking 5 of his 6 free-throws throughout the night).
It’s tough to pinpoint what motivates Okafor most, but perhaps it was the chance to open up a new chapter by starting alongside Joel Embiid. It also could have been the fact that the team was putting trust in him at the center.
Perhaps, though, it’s the competition level that motivates Okafor to do well. It sounds a bit crazy, but maybe he’s just bored of centers that don’t challenge him, at least when he’s on offense. With the chance of going up against Jonas Valanciunas, maybe he just had more motivation, more hype, and more determination to do well.
Pinpointing the motivation is nearly impossible, but let’s just hope the motivation — and subsequently higher stat lines — continue.
Sep 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons (25) during media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Ben is back!
He wasn’t in the game, but Ben Simmons was on the sideline with the Sixers for the very first time on Wednesday night. This is huge, and follows some other news of progress within Simmons’ rehabilitation earlier this week. Earlier this week, Simmons was involved in practice — which he has been already this year, just in different capacities — shooting free-throws in sneakers (not in the boot) for the very first time this year.
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Before the tip-off, Simmons came out of the tunnel with his shoulders held high for the first time this season. Simmons donned a creme colored button-up dress shirt with a blue blazer, a nice gold watch, and some interesting wrist gear on his right wrist. Below the waist he had blue faded, ripped jeans on, and some red, white, and blue Air Jordan 1s.
Swag is an understatement, my friends.
The outfit was dapper, the cut was fresh, and Simmons was coming off of quite the Instagram live session from the night before. More importantly, this was the first time before a game fans were seeing Simmons on the court, and the first time Simmons was with his team on the bench.
Things like that are bigger than the actual training. Being able to be involved in the huddle, the game-time conversation, the atmosphere, it’s got to be incredible, and it has to be a huge morale for both Simmons and the team for him to be on the floor.
No, Simmons isn’t playing yet, but the recent developments of him being more involved in practice and him showing up in games are both indications that his recovery is going well, and that he’s making strides close to returning. We still have no timetable for his return, but it’s logical to conclude that the Sixers would not be putting Simmons in front of the fans and publicly talking about his steps forward if he wasn’t doing well.
Dec 14, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (R) and guard Sergio Rodriguez (L) warm up before action against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Sixers can hang, at least for spurts
During the game, the Sixers were actually hanging around with the Raptors for long spurts. Basketball is a game of momentum, and despite what the lead tracker visual says, the Sixers were able to go on some decent sized runs.
The Sixers did hold leads in this game, and the game was tied 12 different times. At the end of the first quarter, the Sixers led 25-22. That lead would not end up being sustainable, as the Sixers gave up more than 30 points in all of the other three quarters, and the Raptors held a consistent 10 point lead for most of the second half.
Still, the Sixers proved yet again that they can hang around and make good teams nervous, never allowing the Raptors to pull their starters and relax. During one of the last timeouts, Dwayne Casey, head coach of the Raptors, was visually upset with how his team was handling themselves. That head coach frustration is certainly not the first time the Sixers have caused that this season, with memorable frustration coming from Stan Van Gundy in the Sixers most recent win over the Detroit Pistons as well.
The Sixers still have not held out for a clutch win over a great team, but they have gotten close at the end with great teams, and also have been able to stay close in games, even if they haven’t come out on top.
The next step is obviously for the Sixers to turn “just hanging” into overcoming their opponents, but that will come over time and with experience. While the team shouldn’t be getting complacent with their late-game losses being close, it’s encouraging to see that the Sixers can keep up with teams like the Raptors, and even make them sweat a little at the end of some games.
Nov 12, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) and Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) and New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (25) wait during a break in the third quarter in a game at Air Canada Centre. The Toronto Raptors won 118-107. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
DeRozan, Lowry can take over
One of the biggest things we learn in late losses like this is that big name players are almost always going to out-do the Sixers until they get a bit older and a bit more experienced. As stated in the last slide, the Sixers caused nuisance for the Raptors more than once late in the fourth quarter, but that doesn’t mean it was ever the Sixers game to win.
Players like DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, All-Star type players, are able to take over games in ways that the Sixers can’t quite account for and combat just yet. Most competitive teams have those players, the LeBron James, the Stephen Curry, the John Wall. The Sixers have good pieces, but don’t have players that you can trust the ball with as the Sixers are up just a few scores in the final minutes.
DeRozan hit a shot over Sergio Rodriguez in the fourth quarter that felt like a dagger, and the defense wasn’t bad on Sergio’s part. It’s just shots that you’re going to give up.
Later on, Rodriguez hit a 3-pointer that gave the Sixers a breath of new life, as they closed the Raptors’ lead to just 9 points. A 3-pointer by Kyle Lowry on the very next Raptors possession put the Raptors up by 12 again with just over 2 minutes left, and a missed opportunity on the Sixers end followed by another made shot for the Raptors put the lead back to 14.
Sometimes, when going up against teams that don players such as DeRozan and Lowry, one of the best backcourts in the Eastern Conference right now, you’re just going to have to accept defeat and that your team is outmatched some situations.
